December 4, 2011, Dialogue on the comprehensive reform of social security and taxation systems

"When the manager of a victorious pro baseball team is lofted into the air in celebration, it's everyone helping to put that one manager aloft. The foundation of the current social security system was like that, with lots of people providing support through the demographic composition Japan had fifty years ago, when the system of providing universal pensions and universal health insurance started. But at present, roughly three people of working age support one elderly person, much like the "knights and horses" game in which one teammate rides atop the backs of three fellow players. And as the momentum of the dwindling birthrate and aging population increases, at some future date we'll have a ratio of one person supporting one other person. That's now become a piggyback ride. Carrying someone piggyback, or a whole team tossing someone aloft―there's quite a difference in the way to support someone, isn't there?"

"There is one episode which I shall never forget. A six-year-old boy had gone missing due to the tsunami, and his mother asked members of the SDF to "Please, please search for my son by any means possible." They desperately searched for the child in the mud where the family's house had stood, but they could not find him. However, they did find an Ultraman figurine, the six-year-old boy's most prized possession. I have heard that when they handed this figurine to the mother, she left the scene thanking them countless times as she wiped the mud from it again and again. I believe that it is actions like these that have communicated the sincerity of the SDF to the disaster victims and to the public as a whole."

From the October 17 and 18, 2011 radio broadcast of "Information on Policies, Broadcast from the Prime Minister's Office"

"I consider Japan's foremost weapon to be our human resources―in particular, an environment in which children will thrive unconstrained. I feel that education is the biggest investment in the future, so I will be tackling this issue very thoroughly."

September 23, 2011, Address by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

"I have been deeply moved by the strong feelings of compassion shown by people the world over toward Japan. The world expressed friendship and solidarity as well as praise for the Japanese people immediately after the earthquake. On behalf of the people of Japan, I express my heartfelt gratitude for the helping hands extended from all over the world. These bonds between Japan and the international community will be forever remembered by the Japanese."

November 1, 2011, in response to a question from Councillor Chiaki Takahashi during the Plenary Session of the House of Councillors

"The spirit of caring about others amidst great difficulties is noble Japanese ethos worthy of pride at a global level. I believe that the earnestness, compassion, and true fortitude of the people of the disaster-stricken areas also demonstrated to the world the virtues of the Japanese people and left an impression upon them. Through the people of the affected areas, the local municipalities, the volunteers who have gathered from all over the world, and the entire Japanese people nurturing to a great size the buds of hope emerging in the disaster-stricken areas, it goes beyond the reconstruction of the affected areas, to also become the strength to create a new Japan."

October 16, 2011, Address by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the 2011 Air Review of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force

"I myself am the son of a member of the SDF. I have seen SDF personnel, training day in and day out in preparation for every possible contingency many a time. I have watched so many SDF personnel make a contribution on the front lines of a great variety of activities. I have always felt that the SDF are the pride of Japan. Watching the slightest details of your every move today, I have firmly renewed my respect for the SDF and my faith in all of you."

October 31, 2011, in response to a question from Representative Yuko Obuchi during the Plenary Session of the House of Representatives

"Measures to address the declining birthrate are a pressing matter of importance, in light of the arrival of a society whose decline in population is underway in earnest. For that reason, we must stand by the principle of 'children first' and strengthen our support for the child-raising generation both nationally and regionally in order to enhance social security more fully during the first half of people's lives."

October 31, 2011, in response to a question from Representative Seiji Maehara during the Plenary Session of the House of Representatives

"I intend to undertake in a thorough manner reductions in personnel costs and the eradication of wasteful administrative measures. In my policy speech to the Diet, I called upon us to exhibit preparedness and caliber as politicians overall, but I consider myself to be the one whose preparedness and caliber as a politician is being called for most of all. I will tackle these issues based firmly on that fact."

October 20, 2011, from Prime Minister Noda's appearance on the NHK show Newswatch 9

"The population of Japan now stands at approximately 128 million people. My job is to drive this large bus carrying people old and young, male and female. I must not drive recklessly, or change our destination suddenly and cause an accident. I will be certain to drive carefully in the future as well. 'Driving carefully' means a society in which each individual can live with peace of mind in a relaxed manner in keeping with a life plan. I will ensure that this comes to fruition."

"After I delivered that policy speech, a message of encouragement arrived from Ms. Ohgoe herself, saying, 'Sowing seeds of hope to make the flowers bloom, you are the Hanasaka Souri!' ('The Prime Minister who makes bare trees bloom'―a playful twist on the name of the traditional Japanese folktale Hanasaka Jiisan, 'The old man who makes bare trees bloom'). I very much hope that we―myself included―demonstrate 'preparedness and caliber' as politicians within the upcoming Diet deliberations and also in the implementation of our proposals, in order to be able to achieve just such an existence."

*In his Policy Speech to the Diet, Prime Minister Noda quoted Ms. Katsura Ohgoe's poem "A crown of flowers" (links to a YouTube video). Afterwards, a message of encouragement from Ms. Ohgoe to Prime Minister Noda arrived, to which the Prime Minister replied, saying, "I will strive to be the Hanasaka Souri who makes the flowers of the people's hopes come into bloom."

September 13, 2011, Policy Speech by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to the 178th Session of the Diet

"I will take the lead among the Cabinet in listening carefully to the voices and the heartfelt cries of each and every person in the nation. I will conduct myself with 'sincere spirit and just intent.' I will devote myself only to the people of Japan, and, in order to overcome the crisis before us and resolve the challenges that have beset Japan for many years, I am determined to spare no effort as I advance tenaciously and doggedly forward, one step at a time."

October 28, 2011, Policy Speech by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to the 179th Session of the Diet

"Politicians must also take the initiative to tighten their belts. Issai Sato, a Confucianist from the Edo Period, once said, 'Treat others like the spring breeze, guard yourself against temptation like the autumn frost.' People that represent citizens by involving themselves in politics and government administration are looked on to conduct themselves in an 'austere manner like the autumn frost.'"